Conventional airbags in the vehicle are often integrated into the steering wheel of the vehicle and are triggered if a rapid deceleration in the vehicle is established by sensors. In order for the airbag to be triggered, the vehicle deceleration must exceed a defined threshold value which is typical for a collision of the vehicle with an object. The sensor is an acceleration sensor, whose sensor signals are evaluated in a control unit in which actuating signals are optionally generated for the triggering of the airbag. The propagation and processing times for the sensor signals and actuating signals are to be taken into consideration during the triggering of the airbag.